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Paper Feeding Machine. ,427. Paiented Jan. 11,1881.

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Paper Feeding Machine.

No. 236,427. Patented Jan. 11, I881] 3SheetsSheet a. F. W. GRIFFITH 80 G. P. BYRNE.

Paper Feeding Machine. No. 236,427. Patented Jan. 11,1881.

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EINTTED; STATES PATENT QFFICEQ FREDERICK W. GRIFFITH, OF NEW YORK, AND GEORGE P. BYRNE, OF BROOKLYN, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO GARRETT S. BYRNE, OF NEWARK, N. J., AND JOHN FORSYTHE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,427, dated January 11, 1881.

Application filed December 13, 1878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FREDERICK W. GRIF- FITH, of New York, county and State of New York, and GEORGE P. BYRNE. of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of. New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in such an arrangement and combination of mechanical devices, whereby the bottom sheet is separated from a pile of paper and presented to the feed-rollers of ruling, calender, and siniilarly-operating machines, and to the feeding lingers or gripers of printing-presses, 810., as will be fully hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved paper-feeder, shown presenting the sheets to the cylinder of a printing-press. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same with the pile of paper in place. Fig. 3 is a plan view with the pile of paper removed. Fig. 4 shows a modification of the separating-roller. Fig. 5 shows another way of operating the Fig. 6is a view showing the presser-fingers for laying the edge of the sheet in proper position to be taken by the gripers. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section, showing the dischargingand supporting rollers surrounded by an endless apron.

Clhe pile of paper a is placed on the supporting-rollers l) b,'the resisting-bars c c, and the lifting-bars d d, and is held in position by the end boards, 0 e, of the frame. The back end board, e, to adapt the feeder to various sizes of paper, is adjustable to and from the front end board, 0, which is always stationary after the feederis properly set. The back end board, 6, is secured to or forms a part of the frames e e ,which are free to slide on the side arators t i, which are caused to revolve in the direction indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 2 with a variable motion by means of a pair of elliptical gears, h h. The gear h is secured to the shaft of the front separator and meshes into the gear /L, which revolves on a stud projecting from the standard W. This standard supports the cylinder and the front end of the feeder. A similar supporting-standard is on the opposite side of the machine, and the standards [L3 71 support the rear end by being attached to the side bars,f.

The elliptical gear-wheel h is driven by a train of gear-wheels, j, from the driving-shaft of the machine, to which the feeder is attached, so that the separator makes one revolution to one of the machine, which, in the views Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, is represented as the cylinder k of a printing-press. Instead of the train of gears, the connection between the machine and feeder may be made by means of a chain and chain-wheels. or by a shaft and miter-wheels.

The two separators are connected together, so as to revolve toward the center of the machine, by the miter-wheel l on the end of the front separator-shaft meshing into the miterwheel 1 on the end of the side shaft, m, which works in a bearing, m, projecting from the side of the main frame. The other end of the shaft m passes through the miter-wheel l and imparts motion to itby means of a spline or feather in the wheel fitting into a slot or groove cut longitudinally in the shaft m. This wheel L is titted into a bearing projecting from the frame 6 so as to revolve therein, and meshes into another miter-wheel, l secured to the end of the back separator-shaft, and by means of the groove in the shaft m and the spline invthe wheel l the whole of the rear part of the ma chine may be adjusted to or from the front part without altering the driving-connection between the separators or their relative positions to one another as regards their action on the paper.

The variable motion imparted to the separators is such that as they are approaching the bottom sheet, as shown at Fig. 2. their motion is slow, so that the edge of the elastic facing 13' strikes the paper gently. thus insuring a perfect gripe thereon as they draw the edges of the sheet away from the lifting-bars d d, and buckling the paper between the separators and the resisting-bars c 0. Then their speed increases while they are carrying the edges of the paper around with them to throw the edges down beneath them in the position shown in Fig. 2, thus saving considerable time in separating the edges from the pile over such operation if they had a continuously steady motion. In place of the elliptical gearing to impart a variable motion to the separators, it is obvious such variable motion may be obtained by other well'known mechanical devices, as segmental gears in which the various segmental parts meshing together are of different diameters, &c.

The resisting bar or roller 0 (shown at the rear end of the pile of paper) revolves in blocks which are secured to the frames 0 e by screws passing through slotsin the frames,or by screws passing through slotsin the blocks and screwed into the frames, so that the opening between the roller and separator may be varied to enable the various qualities and thicknesses of the different kinds of paper to be properly separated. The roller is also adjustable up and down by screws passing vertically through the blocks and bearing on the ledges 0 so as to regulate its pressure on the paper and to goveln the pressure of the separator on the paper, or about the same result will attain if the separator itself be made adjustable up and down in its bearings. The front resisting-bar, c, is secured to the arms 0 c and they are secured to the shaft 0 One end of the shaft 0 projects beyond the frame, to which is secured the tappet or wiper 0 which is acted on by the side cam, 0 secured to the shaft on in such a manner that afterthe end of the bottom sheet is thrown down by the front separator the bar 0 falls, as shown in Fig. 2, the dotted lines showingit in its raised position bearingagainst the pile of paper. The freed part of the sheet is thus better acted upon by the gripers 7c of the cylinder than it would be if the resisting bar remained up all the time, as the angle of the freed end of the paper is less obtuse to the horizontal than if it were held up by the resisting-bar when bearing against the pile, as this angle is now governed by the position occupied by the front supporting-roller, b, thereby facilitating the drawing out of the sheet clear of the pile. The separator is made segmental to favor this point in drawing out the sheet and to allow the feeder to be placed nearer the cylinder than it could otherwise be without the paper rubbing against some of the parts of the feeder as it is being pulled out. The screws which secure the resisting-bar 0 to the arms 0 pass through slots in the bar, so that it may be adjusted to vary the Opening between it and the separator, for the purpose explained in describing the rear resisting-bar. lts pressure on the paper is regulated by moving the cam 0 along the shaft m or by turning the wiper on the shaftc. Instead of this front resisting-bar being constructed to drop down,

-which are placed the pawls p 19.

it may be operated as shown at Fig. 5-that is, to move horizontally away from the separator, which is accomplished by means of cams a, secured to the separator-shaft, actingagainst a roller on the sliding boxes at, in which the resisting-r0ller has its bearings, the boxes being pressed forward against the action of the cams by means ofcords and weights or springs, or by making the cams closed cams.

It is found advantageous sometimes, when verylarge sheets of paper are being fed by the machine, to have a moving resisting-bar at the rear end of the pile, so as to release a greater length of the sheet and leave less of it bearing on the supporting-rollers b. It is also found, under some circumstances, unnecessary to use the moving lifting-bar, the presentation of the end of the sheet being made at the right angle by using at the front end a similarlyconstructed lifting-bar to that shown at the rear end, the rotating separator being then of small diameter and cut away beyond the center, leaving it crank form.

In making the feeder to feed very stiff paper or card-board the rear separator, with its attendant devices, may be dispensed with.

The supporting and lifting bars d (I workin guides against the end boards, 0 a. They are covered with rubber, and are provided at their ends with upright notched projections d d, into which lit the ends of the levers d (P. The other ends of these levers are pivoted to the frames at (1 and they are acted upon so as to raise and drop the lifting-bars by the cams d secured to the ends of the separators. The cams d are so shaped that they drop the lifting-bars and the front and rear ends of the pile of paper just before the separators are in position to act on the bottom sheet, and after the edges of the sheet are drawn away clear of the lifting-bars the bars are raised by the cams, thus taking the weight of the ends of the pile of paper oft the separating devices and some of the weight of the center of the pile ofi' of the supporting and discharging rollers.

When thin paper is being fed by the machine it becomes necessary to employ some device to keep the pile level and to enable the ends of the pile to be firmly griped, so that the discharging of the bottom sheet shall not disturb the rest of the paper. This we accomplish by placing the follower 0, made of wood 'or heavy mill-board, on the top of the pile of paper, and on the top. of it is the vertical ratchet-stem 0, provided with aflange, 0 and pins 0 which pass into holes in the follower to retain it in place. The stem 0 passes up through the socket 0 in the upper part of The socket 0 slides in the bar g; which is held by the setscrews q q in the standards 1' r, projecting upward trom the central part of the end boards, 6 0. By this arrangement the stem 0 may be placed over the center of the pile as the end board, a, is adjusted for the various sizes of paper.' An equivalent griping device may be placed directly over the lifting-bars. The

IIO

socket 0 is prevented from turning round by two pins. 0 0 which pass up through holes in the bar q, and it is pressed down by the springs s 8, one end of each of them being fastened to the bar q, and the other ends bear on the top of the pins 05 0 The strength of the springs is regulated by the set-screws s s. The reverse ratchet-notches 0 0 are for the purpose of allowing the reverse dogs p p of the pawls pp to catch therein, so as to hold the stem 0 up out of the way while a fresh pile of paper is being placed in the machine.

The operation of this part of the machine is as follows When the lifting-bars d dare down the weight of the follower and the stem bear on the central part of the pile over the supporting-rollers and the resisting-bars and assist to hold the pile steady while the separation of the ends of the bottom sheet is taking place. NVhen the lifting-bars cl (1 rise thepawls pp catch into the adjacent ratchet-teeth on the stem, and the socket 0 is lifted up with the stem against the action of the springs s s. The strength of thesesprings determines the amount of gripe between the ends of the follower 0 and lifting-bars d d on the pile. Instead oft he ratchet-teeth and pawlspp, frictionpawls maybe used. Then the pile has diminished in height equal to the pitch of the ',ratchet-teeth the pawls pp catch into the succeeding teeth, and so on until the whole ofthe pile has been removed, and by covering the under side of the follower 0 with some ma terial whose adhesion to the paper is greater than the mutual adhesion of the paper the pile of paper may be entirely fed to the last sheet. Springs 0 contribute to this result.

The supporting-rollers b I), which are partly or wholly covered with rubber, revolve in boxes 1) which are secured to the side bars. ff, by screws in such a manner that they may be readily removed and replaced when it is required to adjust the rear end of the machine. On one end of each of the roller shafts is a pinion, b which meshes into apinion, 1), running on a stud from the box b and these intermediate pinions mesh into the pinion on the preceding roller, so that they are all connected together to revolve in the same direction. Motion is imparted to them at the right time by means of the pinion t, which meshes into a pinion, t, on the front supporting-roller, b, and it is driven by asegmental gear, a, secured to the end of the cylinder k. The whole of these gears may be made with either toothed or friction surfaces. They are so proportioned as to size that the surface speed of the rollers is the same as the surface speed of the cylinder is, or to the speed of whatever machine the feeder is applied to. The segmental gear a is so placed on the cylinder that it imparts motion to the rollers b b at the instant the gripers k take the paper, and so assist the gripers in drawing out the bottom sheet. \rVith certain kinds of paper it is found unnecessary to impart motion by gears to the rollers b b, as the gripe of the gripers is supporting The modification of the rotating separator shown at Figs. 4 and 6 consists in making the cylindrical surface 1) smooth, so as to be antifrictional, except. in such parts as the elastic frictional strips 'v are placed, so that the paper may bear continually on the roller without being afi'eeted or disturbed when bearing on' the smooth parts. The strips '0 separate the bottom sheet, as shown.

At Fig. 6 is shown presser-fingers 20, which are operated so as to press the edge of the sheet down near to but not on the cylinder, thereby presenting the edge of the sheet under all circumstances so as to be properly taken by the gripers. They are secured to the guideshat't w and operated by the guide-cam w of the ordinary cylinder-presses.

In the application of this'feeder to certain classes of machines, after the edge of the sheet is thrown down by the separator it is drawn and discharged from the pile by means ot'an endless apron, a, (see Fig. 7,) which passes over the supporting-rollers 0c 00, and which is caused to move as soon as the edge is separated, so as to discharge the sheet clear of the pile or present it to the teed-rollers m of t'he machine. The guide 00 guides the edge'to the bite of the rollers. The separator here shown is similar to that shown at Fig.4, but with only one separating-strip. The rear end of the bottom sheet ot'a pile of thin paper would have to be thrown down to enable the pile to be griped so that it would not be disturbed when the bottom sheet is being discharged by the apron.

It is obvious from the foregoing description of our paper-feeding machine that if the various separating devices were arranged to operate on the top of the pile and the paperpressed upward against them by any of the well-known methods the top sheet would be separated from the pile in substantially the for the purposes hereinbetore set forth.

2. The rotating separator i, in combination with the elliptical gears h It, by means of which the separator is caused to revolve slowly while separating the bottom sheet and drawing it back from the end of the pile, and quickly while carrying the end of the sheet around with it into position to be griped by the taking mechanism of the machine being fed, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. In a paper-feeding machine, in combination, the separator i, the cylinder It, provided with the gripers k, and the presser-fingers w, constructed and operated substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

4. In a paperfeeding machine, a rotating separator, in combination with the vertically and horizontally adjustable resisting-bar c, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination ofthe rotating separator 11, swinging resisting-bar c, and supportingroller 1), substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth.

(I. In a paper-feeding machine, the rotating separators 'i i, the adjustable resisting-bars c c, and the series of supporting-rollers b I), all parallel with one another and in the same horizontal plane, constructed and operating so as to separate the bottom sheet from a pile of paper, substantially in the manner hereinbet'ore set forth.

7. The combination of the lifting-bars d d with the follower 0, provided with an automatic locking device, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

8. The combination of the ratchet-stem 0 with the yielding sleeve or socket 0, springs s, and pawls 19, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of the ratchet-stem 0, provided with the reverse notches 0, and the pawls provided with the reverse dogs pp, operating substantially as described, so as to hold up the follower at one time and prevent it rising at another. as hereinbefore set forth.

10. The notched stem 0, socket 0 pawls p 19, springs s s, and adjustable bar q, combined and operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

11. The combination of the lifting-bar d,op erated by the cams (l on separator i, with the separator and resisting-bar 0, substantially as set forth.

12. In apaper-feeding machine, the discharging and supporting rollers b b, in combination with separating devices at either end of a pile of paper, and operating in unison therewith, substantially as described, so as to discharge the bottom sheet clear of the pile after the separating devices have thrown down the two ends, substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth.

13. In a paper-feeding machine, the combination of the supporting and discharging rollers b b with the gripers k and presser-tingers 20, substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth.

14. The combination of the removable supporting-rollers b I), provided with the connecting pinions b b, with the pinion t and segmental gear w, attached to the cylinder 70, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

15. In a paper-feeding machine, the adjustable rear end separating devices, in combination with the removable supporting-rollers b b, substantially as hereinhefore set forth.

In witness wh'ereot' we have hereunto set our hands this 25th'day of September, 1878.

FItEDK. I/VIWI. GRIFFITH. GEO. P. BYItNE. Witnesses:

W. \VALBAUCK, H. I). \VILLIAMS. 

